


my last innocent year

by sandyk



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bisexual MJ, Bisexual Peter Parker, F/M, Identity Reveal, Kissing, awkward MJ
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:02:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27287611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sandyk/pseuds/sandyk
Summary: MJ wonders what Peter's secret is - Ned doesn't know and Peter's Aunt clearly does. Then there's kissing!
Relationships: Michelle Jones/Peter Parker
Comments: 10
Kudos: 38
Collections: Trope Bingo: Round Fifteen





	my last innocent year

**Author's Note:**

> For the trope bingo spot secret identities. No profit garnered, not mine. Title from jonatha brooke's last innocent year. Thank you A, you are AMAZING.

MJ is obsessed, not just observant. She only says that to herself. She's obsessed with finding out the truth about Peter. But explaining it's a search for truth and meaning and not some crush on a probably very boring white guy is a lot of words to say at school. 

So, Peter is clearly hiding something. But everyone's hiding something. MJ is hiding something, but no one is really checking that out. Peter, though, his secret is something. He holds on to it very tightly, and even his best friend Ned doesn't know it. They've drifted apart this year. Slightly, but definitely noticeable, especially after Homecoming. Peter was deeply upset about something and also thrilled about something and Ned was just confused. 

Peter remains super close with his Aunt. Whatever this secret is, Aunt May knows it. MJ has seen them chatting after school, hugging. They're huggers. May comes to decathlon events, robotics events, even marching band. Peter's even asked out three people. May probably urged him on there. (All three said yes. Only one went on to a second date.) Peter goes to parties sometimes now. He takes Ned or he shows up alone. He looks like he's being forced to be there for ten to twenty minutes. Then he relaxes and just does his charming sweetheart sometimes smart-ass thing. 

MJ's also always at those parties. She's observing. She's being told to go out and make friends by pushy parents. Much like she suspects Peter's being somewhat forced by a pushy Aunt. 

Peter always says hi to MJ everytime he sees every place he meets her. She's usually part of Peter's awkward circuit before he relaxes. She says hi, he says hi, they both blush. Half an hour later, she's in a corner watching Peter flirt. Badly. Good thing he's pretty.

She watches him, once, kissing someone. He's red to his ears and his hands are just flailing with no plan but he's also kissing, mouth open, looks like some tongue. 

MJ can admit in that moment, she definitely has a crush on him. She really does. 

The next party, she is once again watching Peter like a hawk. He talks to the boy he was kissing, they both laugh and then Peter gets a text on his phone. He makes an excuse, clearly, and heads out. It's confusing so MJ follows him at a distance. He doesn't go toward the street, though. He ducks around to the back of the house. It's probably rude. She follows him anyway. 

He's standing in a dark corner, no lights on him and he's half in his Spider-man suit. Oh. "Oh," she says out loud.

Peter's eyes widen and he says, "MJ?"

"Sorry I followed you," she says. She presses her lips together. "But this makes sense."

"Okay," Peter says. He remembers suddenly and pulls on the rest of his suit, covering his bare chest. He's in pretty amazing shape. Spider-man, right.

"Good luck," she says. "Don't die." 

Peter nods, his mask on and then he's gone. 

MJ takes a moment to appreciate she really said something cool. She doesn't need to chew over that all night like, why did she say that? Nope, good luck, don't die. That was a good thing to say. 

She's standing in a tiny backyard, in the darkness. She walks towards the street and calls her parents for a ride home. She can't go back in to the party. 

Her older brother shows up and she gets in the passenger side. He says, "How was the party?"

She says, "I solved a mystery."

"Okay," he says, laughing. "Don't try that one to get out of being social next time." 

He's older than her by five years and she sometimes feels like they grew up in different countries and don't speak the same language. Then he says, "The parents just want you to be out making friends. They don't understand how people actually make friends." Then she feels like they're the only residents of the same small country and no one gets what they know. 

She sighs. 

Thankfully, Peter doesn't try to knock on her window, even though she worries about it and cleans her bedroom a little in anticipation. Instead he texts her in the morning and asks if she wants to get some coffee to TALK ABOUT THINGS. She's so going to make fun of him for the all caps. 

MJ tells her parents she's going to meet Peter.

"Peter," her mother says, smiling. "Good. Good."

MJ just glares. 

Peter bought her a latte and a muffin. She sits across from him and says, "Ned doesn't know. Only your aunt knows, right?" That's why Peter is trying to save the entire borough but hasn't quit robotics or marching band or decathlon and still has to go to parties to make friends. 

Peter nods. "Yeah. I keep wanting to tell Ned, but then, like, everyone knows we're best friends. So it wouldn't take much to get him in danger."

"Are a lot of people finding out who you are?" She starts eating the muffin. Some kind of blueberry crumble. Pretty good. 

"No," Peter says. "Just one bad guy, but that was really scary. Liz's dad."

MJ nods. She knows how that ended. "He died. His first night in prison. So he couldn't tell anyone."

"We had nothing to do with that," Peter says, leaning forward. "I mean, me and Mr. Stark. Liz's dad died by suicide." He leans back and fiddles with his cup of coffee. 

"I know," MJ says. "Did you tell your Aunt or Mr. Stark that I saw you?"

Peter shakes his head. "Nope. They're both pretty protective. Maybe too much, frankly."

"And I won't be?" MJ smiles. "I think your aunt's doing a pretty great job keeping you more regular as a high school student. Not fiber regular, I mean, down to earth."

Peter smiles. "No, I get it."

"Does she make you go to parties and ask people out?" MJ's a little scared of what the answer to that's going to be. She guesses Peter doesn't mention her enough or care enough for Aunt May to make him ask MJ out. 

"Yeah," Peter says, sighing heavily. "But it doesn't always work, you know. She's been telling me to ask you out for months." He's smiling again. 

"Oh, you didn't want to?" She takes a sip of her overly sweet latte and puts it right back down. 

"No, I wanted to," Peter says. He's leaning forward again. "But I kept chickening out. I like you a lot. I'm glad you know. About the other thing. It's nice to have someone who isn't, like, an adult know about it."

MJ nods to cover her reaction. She's a little blown away. Peter liking her seems unlikely. But he says it's so and he doesn't really lie. Except about Spider-man, she realizes. "I didn't think you were Spider-man. I had no idea. Um, obviously I like you, too. Even with the Spider-man part."

Peter keeps leaning forward. "Yeah, it can be a negative."

"In retrospect, I should have known," MJ says. She has no idea what to say next. She finishes her muffin and then sips her latte again.

"Did I get you the wrong one?" 

"It's just really sweet," MJ says. She pushes the cup over to him. He drinks all of it. 

"I love sweet," Peter says, almost mumbling. 

MJ says, "It's okay. I don't need that much sugar in my coffee delivery system, though."

Peter grins. "Yeah, yeah." 

"I thought maybe you would show up at my place last night."

Peter says, "No. No. I remember you said you weren't afraid of heights, you were afraid of falling from a great height, that's why you never opened your window more than a crack. So I thought knocking on your window might be really scary for you. To have to open it."

He really has been listening to her. They have a very awkward friendly conversation. MJ starts randomly asking Spider-man questions which helps, to her surprise. They get up to leave and outside, Peter takes her hand. He leans forward and out of nowhere they're kissing. 

It's not MJ's first kiss. Or first real kiss. It is her first kiss with a boy. And with Peter. She's watched him kiss a few people. He seems like he likes doing it. She likes being kissed. Kissing back. He holds on to her, his hand at the juncture of her neck and collarbones. His hand feels warm. Then he is right up next to her, pressed against her. She leans back and her lips feel good. It feels like she's been kissed and that's good. 

She says, "Oh."

Peter says, "Was that okay?"

"I wouldn't say 'oh' if it wasn't okay, I'd say fuck you or something," MJ says. "Sometimes I'm awkward. Clearly."

"Same," Peter says. 

They make a plan. A date, a time to talk even more about this Spider-man thing. And also Peter things. MJ stuff. "Sounds good," she says. "Sounds good."


End file.
